Metamora junior Johnson hits three blasts for charity, has blast at Marlins Park

Friday

Jan 3, 2014 at 10:57 PM

JOURNAL STAR Staff

MIAMI — Trent Johnson swung a warm bat Friday at Marlins Park, and it wasn't just because of the weather.

The Metamora junior finished sixth of 58 batters in the underclass home run derby as part of the eighth annual Power Showcase All-World Baseball Classic.

The 6-foot-4, 235-pound Johnson hit only three home runs in the sunny, 75-degree weather of South Florida — but he hit them long. His shots of 442, 430 and 430 feet were among the longest hit in the entire derby.

"This was something I'm going to remember my whole life," said Johnson, a University of Arizona commit and the Journal Star's reigning baseball player of the year. "A lot of fun during a big, long day."

The derby was tied to the "Home Runs That Help" fundraiser for community outreach programs. Johnson partnered with Children's Hospital of Illinois and Brady Weaver, a 14-year-old Limestone student who has undergone multiple heart operations.

About 20 people, including Weaver, watched the derby live online from the foundation's office in Peoria.

Weaver and Johnson then spoke via phone soon after Johnson hit at about 3:30 p.m. Peoria time Friday. They thanked one another and Johnson told Weaver about the souvenirs he would bring back to central Illinois.

"Lots of cool stuff for him," said Johnson, who will sign his first home run ball and his bat — the latter of which also is inscribed with Weaver's initials.

This was Johnson's second time playing on a Major League Baseball surface, so he took advantage. He had taken batting practice at Miller Park, home of the Milwaukee Brewers, through his father, Tony Johnson, and their affiliation with Caterpillar Inc.

At the derby in Miami, Johnson hit in the first two hours. He then made an impromptu day out of it, staying for the derby's final five hours, spent shooting video and cheering on friends.

At one point, Johnson noticed no one was on the field shagging fly balls. He was more than happy to lend a glove.

"It kind of just happened," Johnson said. "Some people might take for granted being in a major league ballpark, but I wanted to be around there as much as I could."

Johnson will take the day off Saturday ("I might go to the beach," he said.). He also will head back to Marlins Park and watch the senior derby, which includes Illinois State commit Simeon Lucas of Fox Lake Grant and TCU commit Evan Skoug of Libertyville.

On Sunday, Johnson likely is scheduled to play in the All-World Classic underclass game at 12:30 p.m., likely at pitcher and first base. The game is 10 innings and each player is guaranteed to play five, said Johnson. The game will stream live at power-showcase.com/live.

About 130 prospects representing 20 countries were expected to participate in all of the weekend festivities.

Johnson said he and the Children's Hospital on Thursday night were recognized with the "Humanitarian Award" during a dinner attended by about 700 people.

As of Friday night, a post on Johnson's Facebook site said the program's $5,000 goal likely would be easily surpassed. Fixed dollar donations can still be made for the next few weeks before the total is presented to the Children's Hospital.

To donate or for more information go to trentjohnsonbaseball.com or Facebook at "Trent Johnson Home Runs That Help."